When Coraline moves with her parents to a new house she is fascinated by the fact that their 'house' is in fact only half a house! Divided into flats years before, there is a brick wall behind a door where once there was a corridor and one day it is corridor again, down which the intrepid Coraline wanders. And so a nightmare-ish mystery begins that takes Coraline into the arms of counterfeit parents and a life that isn't quite right. Can Coraline get out? Can she find her real parents? Will life ever be the same again? "I think this book will nudge "Alice In Wonderland" out of its niche at last. It is the most splendidly original, weird, and frightening book I have read, and yet full of things children will love." - Diana Wynne Jones. "This book will send a shiver down your spine, out through your shoes and into a taxi to the airport. It has the delicate horror of the finest fairy tales, and it is a masterpiece. And you will never think about buttons in quite the same way again." - Terry Pratchett.
I am thoroughly grateful that Coraline was not released until 2002. In 2002, I was 13. At 13, I was too old to have my parents reading me stories in bed. And that is a blessing because I was an easily frightened child and my father was an excellent storyteller. Coraline would have given me nightmares.
It's not an overly scary book, but the Other Mother is very much like the boogeyman. If you're naughty, she'll take your parents and want to sew her buttons on your eyes. The creepy scenes are written with the greatest craft and skill. Coraline is endearing, while also being a ghost story.
As an adult, I don't think I appreciated Coraline as much as many others, especially those whose grew up with it. But it's still a fun book and I do appreciate Neil Gaiman's children's stories. :)
Reading updates
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Started reading
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19 June, 2018:
Finished reading
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19 June, 2018:
Reviewed